Bubbling everywhere

The term got a new meaning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. (Pexels photo)

MANILA – If there is one word that has been officially added to the list of lingos professional and campus sportswriters have been using this year, that would be “bubble”.

The term got a new meaning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In an effort to finish the 2019-2020 season amid the pandemic, which stalled virtually all the major sporting events for a few months, the National Basketball Association (NBA) redefined “bubble” by inviting 22 teams, which either clinched a playoff berth or were virtually still in the playoff race, to converge at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando for a shortened regular season climax and the ensuing postseason.

The first-ever modern-day sports bubble turned out to be a huge success as the bubble delivered some of the NBA season’s most memorable games and, most importantly, no one tested positive for Covid-19 inside it.

Following its success, four Philippine club leagues considered pushing through with their postponed seasons inside bubbles of their own in provinces already under the most lenient Covid-19 restrictions, the modified general community quarantine.

Two 5-on-5 basketball leagues, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) chose Pampanga to be the venue of their bubbles.

The PBA, through the help of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, held its bubble in Metro Angeles, also known as Clark, while the NBL had its own bubble in San Fernando through some intervention from Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda.

On the other hand, two other professional leagues took their talents south of the metropolis.

The Philippines’ premier 3×3 basketball league, the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, began what would now be its 2020-2021 season inside the President’s Cup bubble in Calamba.

Meanwhile, the Philippines Football League (PFL) did not look further for a bubble battleground as the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona was available.

Near and far

Only the Chooks 3×3 bubble was nearly identical to that of the NBA as everyone mainly converged at the Inspire Sports Academy, which has a lodging area for the athletes in it, so the players, league and team officials, and even the media present at the Chooks bubble can just simply go down from their bedrooms to the basketball court and vice versa.

The PBA and the PFL have interesting setups to their bubbles as their billeting areas were actually outside Angeles and Carmona, respectively.

The PBA delegation was accommodated at the Quest Hotel’s Clark branch, which is actually under the jurisdiction of Mabalacat.

Quest is 11 kilometers away from the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

The PFL delegation, on the other hand, stayed at the Seda Hotel in Sta. Rosa City, some 18 kilometers away from the PFF National Training Centre.

On where the NBL delegation stayed during the league’s bubble is unknown, but one can assume that it is also situated in San Fernando City, Pampanga, and is accessible from the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.

Short and long

The NBL had the shortest-lived bubble as it was done just for the championship series between Pampanga and La Union to proceed.

The Delta, who surprisingly have the homecourt advantage literally, would beat the Paower to take their first NBL championship and the first professional basketball title for a Pampanga team since the Dragons took the inaugural Metropolitan Basketball Association title in 1998.

The Delta, however, needed four games to clinch the best-of-five series, that is, the Paower still got to win one game, Game 2 specifically, proof that the latter can defy the arena handicap.

Meanwhile, the PFL and Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 pushed through with the entirety of their conferences.

Zamboanga City took home the Chooks 3×3 President’s Cup title after a near flawless run capped by winning the conference final where PHP1 million was at stake.

The squad would eventually rename itself to Manila Chooks TM for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Doha Masters.

Meanwhile, United City, formerly known as Ceres Negros, captured its fourth consecutive PFL title by winning the first four of its five scheduled matches.

The PBA bubble, however, had the longest period as it lasted for two months with only one match already settled before the so-called restart.

Ginebra won its first Philippine Cup crown since 2007 after beating TNT in the best-of-seven finals.

Roadblocks

However, like some other sports bubbles that took place amid the pandemic, at least in the cases of the PBA and the PFL, not everything was perfect especially when suspected cases arose.

Late in October, the PBA bubble suddenly went in peril after a referee and a player from Blackwater were tested positive for Covid-19.

This came as a surprise for everyone since all of the delegates were tested negative upon entering the bubble.

Eventually, the two suspected cases turned out to be false negatives, and the league resumed its season after a surprise Halloween break.

Meanwhile, a total of nine people were tested positive for Covid-19 upon entering the PFL bubble.

This raised some alarm to the Sta. Rosa City government, but following an assurance from the league and the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the bubble pushed through.

Both the PBA and the PFL bubbles ended up Covid-19 free.

On the other hand, while it is expected for short bubbles, the Chooks 3×3 and the NBL bubbles remained Covid-19 free all tournament long to the delight of GAB chairman Baham Mitra.

“We thank them for their diligence and close working relationship with the GAB. We look forward to working again with them soon. They have exceeded the suggested protocols and it paid off,” Mitra said.

More bubbles coming

The 2020 Philippine pro sports bubbles are now set to be considered as precedents as other tournaments are now considering holding their seasons inside those of their own.

The Philippine Super Liga (PSL), upon the initial approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), planned to hold its annual beach volleyball tournament inside a bubble at the Metro Olongapo area or the Subic Bay area.

However, due to the storms that ravaged Luzon last month, the PSL beach volleyball event was pushed to 2021.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, on the other hand, is planning to hold its men’s basketball season also next year inside two bubbles based on the proximity from each other.

The three teams situated in the Intramuros district, defending champion and Season 96 host Letran, Mapua, and Lyceum, plus the two non-Manila teams, Jose Rizal University of Mandaluyong and Perpetual Help of Las Pinas, will be secluded inside one bubble.

The other bubble will consist of the teams from the University Belt area, San Beda, San Sebastian, and Arellano, and the teams from Taft Avenue, Saint Benilde and Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Even the national teams are entering bubbles.

In fact, Gilas Pilipinas Men were the first to do so, putting up a training bubble inside the Inspire Sports Academy for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, which happened inside a bubble in Manama, Bahrain.

According to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inspire will host Gilas Men anew for another training bubble before they head to Clark for the third window from Feb. 18-22.

Recently as well, the IATF-EID cleared national athletes from other sports to push through with their own bubbles.

In fact, Bases Conversion Development Authority President Vince Dizon bared on Tuesday that athletics plan to hold a training bubble inside the New Clark City Athletics Stadium by February ahead of the national open in April.

The national open, the first of two scheduled for next year, will serve as a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics.

However, expect these bubbles to be among the last as Philippine sports is expected to go back to its regular track once the Covid-19 vaccines arrive early next year.